Electric lamp unit



March 8, 1938. H. A. DOUGLAS ELECTRIC LAMP UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1954 H, ARR? A- Dome-ma. LNVLNTQQ A TOQNEQps Mafch 8, 1938. H. A. D-OUGLAS 2,110,132

ELECTRIC LAMP UNIT Z1 1g y I J if if I. wvzw-ro AT T o KNLTv Patented Mar. 1938 PATEN T OFFICE ELECTRIC LAMP UNIT Harry A. Douglas, Bronson, Mich assignor to Kingston Products Corporation, a corporation of Indiana Application March 17, 1934, Serial No. 716,207

12 Claims.

My invention relates to electric lamp units, and particularly to electric lamp units comprising an incandescent electric lamp mounted in a reflector, as in an, automobile headlight, and the principal object of my.invention is to provide a new and improved unit of this type. This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial Number 713,'714, flled March 2, 1934. In the drawings accompanying this specification, and forming a part of this application, I have shown, for purposes of illustration, certain forms which my invention may assume; in these drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment, showing the lamp in elevation,

Figure 2 is a' fragmentary front view of the reflector,

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the socket unit,

Figure 4 is a view showing the socket unit assembled with the reflector,

Figure 5 is a section through the lamp, on the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure '6 is a view similar to Figure-4, but showing the lamp assembled with the socket and the reflector,

Figure 7 is a detail section, on the line 1-1 of Figure 6, while Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing another embodiment.

The embodiment of my invention disclosed in Figures 1 through Tcomprises a lamp I I of the two-filament type, having a first filament l4 mounted between a common post l5 and a first selective post It, and positioned in focus, for socalled bright light, and a second filament 11, mounted between the common post l5 and a second selective post 18, and positioned above the focal point, for so-called dim light. The three posts l5 and I8 and III are supported in the usual glass body l9, mounted in the lamp base 20, to which is secured the usual bulb 2|, and

the common post I5 is grounded to the exterior shell 22 of the lamp base 2|], while the selective posts I 6 and I8 are secured respectively to the contacts 23 and 24, carried by and projecting from the rear face of the lamp base 20.

Secured to the lamp base outer shell 22 is the tubular portion 25 of a positioning ring 26 which comprises also an outwardly extending flange 21' provided with three bayonet slots 28, spaced about the periphery of the lamp base 20, and provided also, on its rear face, intermediate the slots 28, with three positioning projections 29.

Receiving the lamp II is a reflector l2, comprising a body 30, which may be of parabolic form, and which is provided at its rear with an integral rearwardly extending tubular section 3| partially closed by an integral annular flange 32 extending radially inwardly from the rear edge of the 5 tubular section 3|. The flange 32 is provided centrally with an aperture 33 adapted to receive the lamp base 20, and at points spaced about the central aperture 33 is provided with three bayonet slots 34. Intermediate the slots 34 the flange 32 consists of surfaces 35 lying in a single plane perpendicular to the axis of the unit and adapted to be engaged by the positioning ring projections 23.

Receiving the rear of the lamp base 20 is a socket unit 13 comprising a cylindrical shell 36 provided at its forward end with an integral outwardly extending annular flange 31 provided with three apertures 38 through which extend the shanks 39 of three pins 40 provided at their forward ends with enlarged heads 4| and at their rear ends with swedged enlargements 42 by which the pins 40 are held against withdrawal from the flange 31.

Joining the three pins 40 isan annular disk 43 abutting the rear face of thereflector flange 32 and provided with three apertures 44 closely receiving the shanks 39 of the three socket pins 40, and'provided on the disk 43 are three resilient loops 45 each provided near its free end with an aperture 46 receiving a cooperating projection 41 extending from the socket flange 31.

The shell is provided at its rear end with three integral fingers 48 forming a seat in which is received an insulating base 49 substantially 35 closing the rear end of the shell 36 and held between radially inwardly extending tips 50 on the fingers 48 and an inwardly extending flange 5| formed on the rear end of the shell 36 intermediate the fingers 48.

Slidably mounted in the insulating base 49 are two terminal rods 52, which are connected to conductors 53 leading to the control switch, as is well known in the art, and are provided. at their forward ends with heads 54 adapted to contact the terminals 24 and 23 ot the lamp base 20 and pressed into flrm engagement with the lamp base terminals 24 and 23 by springs 55 encircling the terminal rods 52 and compressed between the insulating base 49 and the terminal heads 54. i

Each of the positioning ring bayonet slots 28 comprises an entrance 56 adapted to receive a pin head 4|, a seat 51 adapted to closely receive a pin shank 39, and a connecting portion 58 connecting the entrance 56 to the seat 51. Each of the reflector flange bayonet slots 34 comprises an entrance 59 adapted to receive a pin head 4|, and a seat 69 adapted to closely receive a pin shank 39.

Also provided in the pin connecting disk 43 are three lugs 6|, adaptedto be received in the entrances 59 of the reflector flange bayonet slots 34 when the pin shanks 39 are in the seats 89 of the slots 34.

The socket pins 49, and the pin positioning disk 43, may be positioned with the socket shell 36 by springing the resilient loops 45 to position the flange projections -41 within the loop apertures 46, and by then inserting the pins 49 through the apertures 44 of the disk 43, and throughthe apertures 39 of the flange 31, and then swedging the ends of the pins 49, to provide the enlarged rear ends 42 holding the pins in position and the parts assembled. 'The insulating base 49 may conveniently be assembled with the shell 36 by positioning it against the inwardly extending flange 5| before the inwardly extendingends 59 of the fingers 48 have been inturned.

The entire socket unit I3 is assembled with the reflector I2 by inserting the pin heads 4| through the entrances 59 of the bayonet slots 34 in the flange-32 of the reflector i2, and rotating the socket unit l3 relative to the reflector l2, until the pin shanks 39 seat inthe seats 60 of the bayonet slots 34, at which time the detent lugs 6| of disc 43 will snap into the entrances 59 of the slots 34, to releasably hold the socket unit i3 assembled with the reflector l2.

To assemble a lamp H in a reflector I21, the lamp II is inserted, with the entrances 56 of the bayonet slots 28 registering with the heads 4| of the pins 49, and then the lamp II is rotated, to bring the pin shanks 39 into the seats 51 of the bayonet slots 28, with the pin heads 4| overlying the adjacent walls of the lamp positioning flange 21, whereupon the spring loops 45, acting through the socket shell 36 and the pins 49, urge the projections 29 of the positioning ring flange 21 into tight engagement with the forward face of the reflector flange 32. Concurrently, the

springs 55 hold the socket contacts 54 in firm J'ections 29 of the positioning ring flange 21 in 0 tion on the lamp base 29, while the parts are so cannot be positioned beneath any of the pin heads firm engagement with the part of the standard corresponding to the reflector flange 32, and the positioning ring 26 is then secured in fixed posiheld, as by soldering 62.

To prevent partial insertion of a lamp II, that is, engagement of the positioning ring flange 21- ably provided with extensions as shown, of a diameter greater than that of the seats 51 of the positioning ring flange bayonet slots 28 and projecting to an extent such that the flange 21 4| without the other pin heads 4| extending into the flange slots 28 to prevent seating rotation of tioned below all of the pin heads 4|.

By the use of three projections 29, spaced about the, periphery of the lamp base 29, the lamp will be held firmly positioned, against any tilting, and by forming the bayonet connections unequally spaced, as herein shown, the construction will variously changed and modified, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing the advantages thereof.

For example, certain of the advantages are retained in the construction shown in Figure 8.

In this construction there is no reflector, and the socket unit is supported directly, as by a suitable support supporting the disk 43, and the lamp positioning ring 26 abuts directly against and is registered directly from the disk 43.

Other modifications may be made, and in general, the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. In combination: an incandescent electric lamp, having'a. base; a. reflecting unit for said lamp; positioning means for said lamp, whereby said base and said reflecting unit are adapted to be brought into register at a plurality of points disposed about the axis of said base; means, comprising a unit detachably mounted on said reflecting unit by relative rotation of said units. having parts engaging said positioningmeans, for pressing said positioning means into said register with said reflecting unit; a plate, forming part of said detachable unit, based on said reflecting unit; and a projection on said plate, extending toward said reflecting unit, and cooperable with said reflecting unit to hold said detachable unit in mounted position.

2. In combination: an incandescent electric lamp, having a base; a reflecting unit for said lamp; positioning means for said lamp, whereby said base and said reflecting unit are adapted to be brought into register at a plurality of spaced points disposed about the axis of said base;

means, comprising a unit detachably mounted on said reflecting unit, having parts engaging said positioning means, for pressing said positioning means and reflecting unit into said register; said detachably mounted unit being mounted on said reflecting unit by bayonet connection means, seated by rotation relative to said reflecting unit substantially about the axis of said detachably mounted unit; a plate, forming part of said detachable unit, based on said reflecting unit; and

a. projection on said plate, extending toward saidv reflecting unit, and cooperablewith said reflecting unit to hold said detachable'unit in mounted position.

3. In oombinationz an incandescent electric lamp, having a base; a reflecting unit'for said lamp; said reflectingunit having circumferentially spaced bayonet slots having their entrance portions spaced circumferentially from their seat portions; positioning means for. said lamp, extending laterally from said base, whereby said base" and said reflecting unit are adapted to. be

- brought into register at a plurality of spaced means, comprising a unit detachably mounted on said reflecting unit, having parts engaging said positioning means, for pressing said positioning means and said reflecting unit into said register; said parts, and said slots in said positioning means, being constructed and arranged to make bayonet connection with each other; and said detachably mounted unit being so constructed andarranged that said parts make bayonet connection with said slots in said reflecting unit and are seated by rotation relative to said reflecting unit substantially about the axis of said detachably mounted unit.

4. In combination: an incandescent electric lamp, having a base; a reflecting unit for said lamp; said reflecting unit having circumferentially spaced bayonet slots having their entrance portions spaced circumferentially from their seat portions; positioning means for said lamp, extending laterally from said base, whereby said base and said reflecting unit are adapted to be brought into register at a plurality of spaced points disposed about the axis of said base; said positioning means containing a plurality of slots disposed about the axis of said base; means, comprising a unit detachably mounted on said reflecting unit, having parts engaging said positioning means for pressing said positioning means and said reflecting unit into said register; said parts and said slots in said positioning means being constructed and arranged to make bayonet connection with each other; said detachably mounted unit being so constructed and arranged that said parts make bayonet connection with said slots in said reflecting unit and are seated by rotation relative to said reflecting unitsubstantially about the axis of said detachably mounted'unit; and means for releasably holding said detachably mounted unit against detaching rotation.

5. The combination with a reflecting unit, of a unitary device to which an incandescent electric lamp may be connected, said device comprising: a plurality of connector projections; a carrying member, carrying said projections; said projections being spaced from each other and extend ing in the same general direction away from said carrying member; said projections having heads at their ends remotest from said carrying member; a washer member having apertures, smaller than said heads, through which said projections are slidably disposed; and means, including a resilient part integral with said washer member, constructed and arranged to bias said washer member toward said heads of said projections and against said reflecting unit; and said reflecting unit having bayonet slots, cooperable with said heads, so constructed and arranged that said unitary device is detachably mounted on said reflecting unit by bayonet connection and seated by rotation relative to said reflecting unit substantially about the axis of said unitary device.

6. In combination: an incandescent electric lamp having a base; a reflecting unit for said lamp; positioning means for said lamp, including a flange extending laterally from said base, whereby said base and said reflecting unit are adapted to be brought into register at a piurality of points disposed about the axis of saidbase; said flange having circumferentially spaced bayonet slots having entrance portions and smaller seat portions connected by tapering intermediate portions with said entrance portions; holding adapted to pass through said entrance portions of said slots and large enough to become seated on the margins of said seat portions, constructed and arranged to hold said lamp connected to said reflecting unit and to press said positioning means into said register with said reflecting unit when said holding means and said positioning means are operatively assembled so that said heads are seated on said seat portions; said positioning means and said heads being so constructed and arranged that they are so operatively assemblable by bringing said flange to underlie all of said heads and then rotating said lamp about its axis; and said heads being of such diameter and axial length that when said flange is out of parallelism with the plane defined by said plurality of points and underlies one only of said heads, another of said heads will prevent such rotation by engagement of the side surface thereof with the margin of an intermediate portion of one ,of said bayonet slots.

7. Securing means for holding an incandescent electric lamp to a mounting, comprising a unitary article of manufacture connectible to and separable as a unit from the mounting, said unitary article including: a plurality of connector projections; a carrying member, carrying said projections; said projections being spaced from each' other and extending in the same general direction away from said carrying member; said projections having heads at their ends remotest from said carrying member; a washer member having apertures, smaller than said heads, through which said projections are slidably disposed; and means, including a resilient part integral with said washer member, constructed and arranged to bias said washer member against said heads of said projections.

8. A lamp assembly, comprising: an incandescent electric lamp, having a base; a reflector unit for said lamp; said lamp comprising positioning means adapted to be brought into register with said reflector unit at a plurality of places spaced about the axis of said base; -a pressing unit, detachably connected to said reflector unit, comprising parts engaging said positioning means, and so constructed and arranged that said parts act to press said positioning means into said register with said reflector unit; said pressing unit and said reflector unit comprising means constructed and arranged to connect said units, operable to connect or disconnect said units upon relative rotation of said units; and means for releasably holding said pressing unit in connected position, against disconnecting relative rotation, comprising a releasable holding member; one of said units comprising means mounting said holding member and against rotation relative to that unit; the other of said units being provided with an aperture, and said holding member comprising a projection constructed and arranged to enter said aperture to hold said units against relative rotation; and said one unit mounting said holding member for movement relative to both of said units, in the general direction of the axis of said pressing unit, between a holding position, in which said projection is disposed in said aperture, holding said units against relative rotation, and a releaseposition, in which said projection is withdrawn from said aperture, permitting such relative rotation.

9. In combination; mounting means, for supporting an incandescent electric lamp, having a 'means, having projections provided with heads a 25 circumferentially from said entrance portion;

plurality of bayonet slots each having a generally circular entrance portion and a smaller seat portion spaced circumferentially from'said entrance portions; and a lamp holding unit, including a member carrying a plurality of circumferentially arranged connector portions each having a shank and an enlarged head generally circular in cross-section; said heads being adapted to pass through said entrance portions and become seated on said seat portions; said holding unit being so constructed and arranged that said connector portions are detachably connectible by bayonet connection with said bayonet slots, and that upon seating rotation of the bayonet connection said shanks fit snugly but slidably in the circumferential ends of said seat portions; and said holding unit including means cooperating with said mounting means for releasably preventing unseating rotation-oi said connector portions. v

10. In combination: an incandescent electric lamp, having means providing a base for said lamp; mounting means, for said lamp, having a plurality of bayonet slots each having an entrance portion and a smaller seat portion spaced said base means including a lateral extension having a plurality of bayonet slots each'having an entrance portion and a smaller seat portion spaced circumferentially from said entrance portion; a. holding unit, including a member carrying a plurality of circumierentially arranged connector portions each having a shank and an enlarged head; said heads being adapted to pass through said entrance portions and become seated on said seat portions of said bayonet slots in i said lateral extension; said holding unit being so constructed and arranged that said connector 1 portions are detachably connectible by bayonet connection with said bayonet slots in said mount-' ing means, and that upon seating rotation of the bayonet connection said shanks flt snugly but slidably in the circumferential ends of said seat portions of said bayonet slots in said mounting means; andsaid holding unit including means cooperating with said mounting means for releasably preventing unseating rotation of said connector portions.

11. A lamp assembly, comprising: an incanand said reflector unit, and comprising also latch means releasably holding said securing means and said reflector means against detaching relative rotation; and said securing means comprising spring means serving to resiliently hold said lamp in position and to resiliently hold said latch means in latching position.

12. In combination; an incandescent electric lamp; mounting means for said lamp; said lamp having a base provided with-a lateral extension constructed and arranged to abut said mounting means; a holding unit, for said Lamp, so constructed and arranged that said holding unit is detachably connectible to said mounting means; said holding unit including first and second members; said first member abutting said mounting means at the side thereof opposite from said lateral extension, and said second member being spaced from the first member; said first member being in the form of a plate having circumferentially spaced apertures; and connecting means, including connector members extending between said spaced members and slidable through the apertures in said first member; said connecting means being so constructed and arranged that said second member is movable toward said first member, and thatmovement of said second member away from said first member is positively limited; and means, including a resilient member integral with said plate at one end and. having its other end normally spaced from and engageable with said plate,

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

